


I Am the Bitter Summation of Every Idiot Ancestor I Ever Had

by Draikinator-Warriors (Draikinator)



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: AU, Gen, Trans girl Mothwing, during power of three, riverclan au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 10:18:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14850896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draikinator/pseuds/Draikinator-Warriors
Summary: AU where the Po3 kids parents are leafpool and trans girl mothwing, and supplementary au where Jayfeather is raised by his other mother Mothwing in Riverclan, but still doesn't know who his real parents are.Jaypaw finally buckles under the pressure of his ancestors in Starclan telling him the only future where he has any value is one where he is a medicine cat. He asks to change mentors.





	I Am the Bitter Summation of Every Idiot Ancestor I Ever Had

“Mistystar,” Jaypaw said, bitterly. Mistystar’s words died on her tongue, and he heard the reeds of her den shift as her and Mothwing turned to look at him.

“Jaypaw?” Asked Mistystar, “Is everything alright?”

“No,” he said. “I need to talk to you.”

“Oh? Come, then, sit with us,” she said. Jaypaw stepped forward, his ears laid flat against his head, and sat down on the reeds between the two she cats.

“I want to be a medicine cat,” he said, simply. His words tasted like crowfood on his tongue, sour and putrid like the lies they were. But Starclan had decided his future before he was born. He would never be a warrior. No one had ever believed in him, not even his ancestors. He had to lie to face the truth.

“I’m surprised to hear you say that,” Mistystar said flatly, “Yesterday all you could talk about was being a warrior.”

“Yesterday I was an idiot,” Jaypaw spat, “Everyone knows I’d be an excellent medicine cat. I’ve just heard it enough now that I’m facing the reality that it's true.”

There was a long moment of silence, and he wondered what she was thinking.

“You don't want to be a medicine cat,” Mothwing said. She'd always been overprotective of him- flitting in and out of the nursery his entire kithood to keep tabs on him. She irritated him beyond words and he wasn't excited about being her apprentice.

“Spottedleaf spoke to me,” he admitted, which was actually true for once, “I’ve had my visions and I know my destiny.”

“But you don't want to be a medicine cat,” Mothwing repeated, an edge to her voice.

“So what?” Jaypaw growled.

“Hm,” said Mistystar, revealing nothing, as always. “You do have a powerful connection to Starclan. You have a very good memory for herbs. You would be an excellent medicine cat.”

“Yeah,” said Jaypaw.

“But I don't know how confident I am in trusting the health of my clanmates to a reluctant medicine cat,” she said, dubious. Hawkpaw bared his teeth at the ground.

“It's the medicine den or the elder’s den,” he hissed, “We all know I’d be a useless warrior. We can stop pretending.”

“If you think that-”

“Mistystar,” Mothwing said, sharply. Mistystar paused, “Let me take him out today, and see how he fares as an apprentice before you make it official.”

“...That sounds like an excellent idea, old friend,” Mistystar said. Mothwing stood, shifting the earth around her as she did so.

“Follow me,” she said, and headed out of the medicine den. Jaypaw stood, silently, and followed behind her, resigned to his fate. His life had never been his to own.

Mothwing walked straight out of camp, without saying a word. He followed, nose brushing the tip of her tail fur as it swayed behind her. At least she was taking him to do something. Reedwhisker had coddled him like a kit, keeping him away from the water everyone was sure would swallow him like the blind, pathetic thing he was.

He was caught off guard when she suddenly turned around and shoved him so hard he fell over.

“Hey!” He yelled as he tumbled onto his side, “What did you do that for?!”

“I’m training you. Get up.”

Jaypaw shoved himself to his feet, “What does shoving me have to do with training me?”

She shoved him over again.

“Come on!” Jaypaw whined.

“Get up,” she said, again. “Get up and fight back.”

“Why?!” He said, standing up and backing away, “medicine cats don't need to know how to fight!”

“What was the name of that Starclan cat that spoke to you?” Mothwing said, approaching him as he backed away.

“Spottedleaf,” he said, and she pushed him down again. He hit the ground with a thump.

“Yes, that's it. I know that name. She was murdered by a Shadowclan warrior. Maybe if she'd bothered to learn how to defend herself, she wouldn't be in Starclan now to tell you what your destiny supposedly is. Get up.”

“Fine!” Jaypaw snapped, and jumped up, throwing himself on her side. She easily reared up and tossed him off.

“Do you think being a medicine cat is easy? Do you think it's conciliatory?” She roared as Jaypaw hissed and ran at her again, claws out. He jumped on her back and she rolled over, squashing him.

“Get off me!” He hissed, flailing his paws. She rolled off him and stood, “What do you know about fighting?!”

“I was born in the woods, alone with my mother and my siblings and the snow, like you,” she said, “and I had to learn to fight like a rogue and then like a warrior before I was a medicine cat. My mother taught me to fight because she wanted me to live. I have spent my whole life being told what I can and can't be, because I’m a rogue, because I'm Tigerstar’s daughter, because I'm half kittypet. My mother never got to be what she wanted.”

Jaypaw shook his head, and stood up. She didn't push him again, but she was panting.

“My mother had to be whatever the world needed her to be. A rogue. A mother. A clan cat. A loner. I never once saw my mother happy in my whole life. I will not watch you throw your life away too.”

“What do you care,” Jaypaw snapped, “It’s not like we’re kin.”

Mothwing was silent, for a long time. So long Jaypaw wondered if she was going to say anything at all.

“Do you want to be a medicine cat?” She asked, finally, hoarse.

“No,” said Jaypaw.

“Then I would rather die than train you,” she said, succinctly.

“That’s melodramatic,” Jaypaw snorted.

“Life is dramatic,” she sighed, “Your form is sloppy, emotional. That's why you had trouble in that scuffle, earlier. Not because you’re blind. Your claws landed exactly where you wanted them too. You just haven't been taught where you should want them to go, yet.”

“...Do..” Jaypaw forced the word out, like he was willing a stone through a reed, “Do you really think I can be a good warrior?”

“Jaypaw, I think that you're the most stubborn, headstrong little cat I’ve ever met,” Mothwing said, stepping around him and guiding him to step along side her with her tail as she moved to head back to camp, “I don't believe there's a cat in the world that could prevent you from being a good warrior other than yourself.”


End file.
